CNET Top 5

Futuristic Google projects

The most far-out Google projects that will shape the future and change the way we live.

4:20 / July 9, 2014

Transcript

[MUSIC]
When you think about Google, you probably think about search and Android, that's not how people will talk about Google ten years from now.
Behind the scenes, Google is tackling some of the most ambitious projects in tech, like Willy Wonka level out there stuff.
I'm Donald Bell.
And in today's top five, I'm counting down the five special projects, that will shape Google's future, and yours.
Starting off at number five, Google Fiber.
Now, I know that speeding up your home internet connection doesn't sound like the craziest out there tech dream, but if Google doesn't do it, no one will.
The broadband monopolies have no incentives to improve things or layout the money to install fiber.
Without the fear of Google beating them to the next generation of high-speed internet, U.S will be left in the dark ages of over priced bundle cable deals that will just get more bloated in [UNKNOWN] once the connected home becomes a reality.
If Google Fiber is the cure for Comcast's heartburn, I'm all for it.
At number four, Project Ara.
This is Google's concept for a modular phone that you can upgrade, and customize, bit by bit.
Because, let's face it, the pace of smartphone hardware innovation is slowing down.
We're basically buying the same phone over and over again, just for little incremental improvements.
It's a waste of money, and it's an unsustainable waste of resources.
There's something sort of beautiful about a truly personalized phone that adapts with you over the course of your life.
I wanna live in that world.
Coming in at number three, Project Tango.
You know how the Microsoft Connect can map out your living room in 3D?
Well, what if your phone or tablet could do the same thing everywhere you go?
Google is selling hardware to developers right now, that will do just that.
And it's opening up all kinds of potential.
For developers it means you could sell an app that tells you exactly where to locate the quinoa at your grocery store.
But, for Google, it has the potential to help them fill in that last mile of Google Maps, going inside the building.
A logical and somewhat frightening step, but if it means Google now can help you figure out where you left your car keys, maybe it's a fair trade.
At number two, Project Loon.
Appropriately titled, since it is the craziest idea on this list.
Google is obsessed with connecting the next billion people to the Internet.
People who live in areas of the world with practically no way to get online.
Now, Google always sounds so altruistic when they talk about it, but they're basically trying to figure out how to get banner ads to the Third World.
How do you get high speed internet to the Himalayas?
Well, how about floating balloons?
By floating giant weather balloons in the earth's stratosphere, at the edge of space, Google can create a mesh network of radio signals that can bounce the internet down, to even the most remote corners of the globe.
It's the kind of crazy, ambitious project that only Google could pull off.
Which brings us to the number one Google project that will make the future a more interesting place.
The Google self-driving car.
Not everybody needs an Android phone, but everyone needs a car.
If Google gets it right, they could save lives, ease traffic congestion, and free us up to watch Game of Thrones in the comfort of our cars.
But, the payoff for Google is huge.
They'll have the best 3D raw data updated constantly by us, putting them at the unreachable top of the navigation game.
And because they'll know everything you do and every move you make, they can target their ads with uncanny accuracy.
You get a hankering for some Pad Thai, and your car is already warmed up and ready to go.
Of course, when you realize that you've got that craving after seeing an ad in Gmail, and you have to admit to yourself that you no longer have any kind of privacy or autonomy that google doesn't have some influence over.
You might get a little depressed.
But, it's Pad Thai!
So there you go, the five fold path for Google's ultimate plan for benevolent world domination.
I'm telling you, the Google of 2024 is gonna be far removed from the debates over Android versus iOS.
They'll be too busy driving you to work, and scanning your home, and providing your internet.
For more top five videos like this, visit top5.cnet.com.
I'm Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
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